The present invention relates to a marking apparatus for marking a line upon an elongated article that is continuously moving past the marking apparatus, and more particularly to a marking apparatus for making a line that is guided by a ridge protruding from a surface of the article that is to be marked.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,965 teaches an apparatus for making a visible reference line on a continuously extruded body of rubbery material, such as a tread for a pneumatic tire. The apparatus taught in that patent has a plurality of rotating wheels that rest upon the extrudate and a transfer roller for transferring the marking fluid from a reservoir to the article that is to be marked. The weight of the apparatus, as well as that of the marking fluid in the reservoir, is passed through the rotating wheels to the extrudate. An extrudate of a soft material, such as the elastomeric compounds used in the treads of some race car tires, may be permanently deformed by the force transferred through the rotating wheels. An apparatus according to the present invention may be made much more lightweight than this prior art apparatus, and because it has fewer moving parts is less susceptible to mechanical failures. Other advantages of a marker according to the present invention over prior art markers will be pointed out later in this specification.
Simply put, a marking apparatus according to the present invention may be used to mark a line upon a ridge protruding from a surface of an elongated object that is continuously moving past the marking apparatus in a direction that is longitudinal with respect to the elongated article. After the marking has taken place the elongated article may be cut into lengths or rolled around a core. Examples of elongated articles that may be marked with lines by the marking apparatus are treads for tires, tubing, hoses and belts. The lines made by the marking apparatus may be used as a location reference or for idendification purposes.
There is provided in accordance with an aspect of the present invention a marking apparatus comprising: a bar member supported by a means for support; a tracking arm member having first and second ends, the first end of said tracking arm member being pivotally attached to said bar member, said tracking arm member extending generally in a direction transverse to said bar member; a stylus member attached to said tracking arm member near the second end of the tracking arm member, said stylus member having a foot with a notch therein, said notch being oriented parallel with the longitudinal axis of said tracking arm member, said stylus member having a bore therethrough with first and second ends, the first end of said bore communicating with the notch in said foot, said bore having a cross-sectional width at its first end that is less than the cross-sectional width of said notch; a reservoir for marking fluid, said reservoir having an outlet; and, a hollow tube having a pair of ends, one end of said hollow tube communicating with the outlet of said reservoir and the other end of said hollow tube communicating with the second end of the bore through the stylus member.